Page 55 of Second Position (Astor Hill #2)

Grant

The ride back from Boston is normally pretty quick, but it feels more tense than usual as Ben loosens his tie, pushing his hand through his hair.

“You good?” I eye him earnestly and he lets out a long breath as I turn off the exit that leads us back to campus.

We drove to the city to meet with Ben’s agent in hopes he’d represent me, too.

The meeting actually went pretty great; he even told me he’d send a contract in the next couple days.

It felt like a weight lifted off my chest and the only thing I wanted to do was tell Gen about it.

The knowledge that I can’t, pushed the weight back and then some.

It didn’t help that Dan was there, in fact, I’d argue it made everything a hundred times worse. There were questions around Will, his whereabouts, and the barrage of insults thrown at Ben; Dan claiming Will’s disappearance was his fault; none of it stopped until we stepped out of the office.

“I didn’t realize he’d even be there,” Ben sniffs. “Sorry you had to witness that. ”

“Hey, we all have our shit.” I nod at him, resolutely. Instead of nodding back at me he narrows his eyes slightly, like he’s examining me.

“You hungry?” he asks. I chuckle and nod as he sighs in relief. “Sweet—do you mind if we stop by and grab Liv?”

“You got it bad, bro.” The smile I’m wearing doesn’t meet my eyes and it’s not because I’m not happy for him. It’s more so that the mere idea of loving another person makes me miss her. He glances at his phone, rubbing his hand against his chin.

“Uh—you know what, maybe I’ll just tell her it’s a guys night…”

I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. “Did something happen, or…?”

He wrinkles his nose the way someone does when they want to tell you something but know they shouldn’t.

“Dude, what ?”

“She asked me to pick her up from Gen’s. I don’t think she realized we’re together…” My heart feels like a spinning top at the mere mention of her, my heart rate instantly picking up. Still, it doesn’t mask the confusion flooding my mind. Why would Olivia be at Gen’s?

“Just tell her not to mention it’s me picking her up.” I shrug as if that’s the most normal thing in the world. As if it’s not obvious that I am dying to just be within fifty yards of the girl.

“You sure?” Ben eyes me, concerned. I nod, taking the familiar right turn that takes me to the only person I’ve wanted to see the past few weeks.

“And you said I had it bad…” I immediately know the way I’m feeling must be written all over my face.

I haven’t told him much about Gen and I, but apparently Olivia has.

I look over at him, stunned that he of all people would have anything to say after quite literally stealing his brother’s girlfriend less than a month ago.

“Hey now, Olivia and I figured our shit out. We’re good. In fact, some might say we are very much in love.” He grins at me, waggling his eyebrows and I roll my eyes.

“I fucked it all up, man.” I flip my hat backwards as we pull up to Gen’s place, and I stare longingly at the balcony that belongs to her. Ben crosses his arms, studying me and I’m sure I look as pathetic as I feel.

“Does she know how you really feel about her?” He raises his brows.

“Of course—” He looks at me doubtfully. “I mean…she should.”

“Right, because women famously think exactly how we do.”

I sigh, just as Olivia barrels into the car in full stealth mode.

“Step on it! Before she sees!” she whispers.

“You’re ridiculous,” I chuckle, forcing myself to pull out of Gen’s complex but unable to stop myself from glancing back through my side mirror.

“Hi!” Olivia leans forward giving Ben a quick kiss on the cheek before buckling herself in the backseat.

“Aren’t you two adorable?” I steer toward Vida’s, the only place that’s likely to be open at this hour.

“We are, aren’t we?” She smiles and I can practically feel Ben grinning beside me.

“You know what would be really adorable, though? A certain Fielder–Dupont combo?” I meet her eye in the rearview mirror and she raises an eyebrow.

I force my gaze back to the road, leaving her statement unanswered which lands me one of the most dramatic sighs I’ve ever heard.

“Jesus Fielder, forgive the girl. I mean I did? ” She crosses her arms .

My eyebrows crease in confusion as I put together what should’ve been obvious the moment Ben told me Olivia was at Gen’s. She told her.

“Before you ask, yes,” she groans. “Gen told me that she helped my ex-boyfriend hide his relationship with my dead best friend, but if I’m being honest, it’s old news.

If that’s what’s keeping you from forgiving her, then I’m here to tell you to move on .

” Ben rolls his lips together beside me, trying to stop himself from laughing.

“It wasn’t just that, it was everything with…” I trail off, not wanting to shit talk Will right beside Ben.

“My brother,” he answers for me, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah man, I don’t know…her thing with Will?—”

“Was complicated,” he cuts me off, and I let out a sarcastic laugh.

“You could say that.”

“Keyword was. She hasn’t really talked about it but from what I gather, she didn’t just end her decade-long crush.

She ended their friendship,” Olivia chimes in from the backseat and I glance at Ben.

I can tell that it bothers him, that Gen was, at one point, like a member of his family and that the worry for his brother is reminiscent of the year he left Astor. The year Lily died.

I pull into the first spot I see when we get to Vida’s, a heavy silence falling over the car until Ben finally meets my eyes, his expression frank. “Look man, I’m not going to tell you what to do. But it’s obvious that you both are in love with each other. You can fix it. And you should.”

“Here, here!” Olivia cheers from the back. “Now can we please get some food. I’m famished.”